"…we need skilled manpower and that’s why we’ve given utmost importance to vocational education," she said.
The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating a three-day national conference of IDEB and international conference on “Skills Readiness for Achieving SDGs and Adopting IR 4.0” at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city.
IDEB and the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) in Manila, Philippines jointly organised the event in association with the Ministry of Education (MoE)-Government of Bangladesh, Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), and Bangladesh Technical Education Board as co-partners.
Sheikh Hasina said it is not only Bangladesh but also the whole world will need skilled manpower in the coming days. "Those who’ll go abroad will go with technical knowhow, and for that we’ve reformed our education system giving priority to vocational training."
She also mentioned that the government is giving assistance to private institutions that are providing technical trainings. "To build a country, we always think, skilled manpower is the most important and we’re working to create skilled manpower."
The Prime Minister said the world is competitive and the government wants to build the manpower of the country in such a way so that they could compete anywhere of the world.
"We want our workforce to be there ahead in the global competition with proper education and training properly," she said.
The Prime Minister mentioned that the government set up 500 polytechnic institute in public and private initiative across the country over the last eleven years while initiatives have been taken to increase the capacity of the public polytechnic institutes to one lakh from 25,000.
Under the Indian Line of Credit to increase the capability of the 49 polytechnic institutes, Hasina said, the government is building one 10-storey building, female hostel, workshop and lab in each polytechnic institute spending Tk 2,600 crore.
She said the government has taken a programme to establish at least one polytechnic institute in every upazila. Already 100 polytechnic institutes have been set up creating some 6,400 posts of teachers and employees.
Besides, the PM said, approval has been given to set up additional 329 polytechnic institutes at a cost of Tk 20,525 crore.
About homeless people, the Prime Minister said the government will ensure home for every homeless person of the country in the Mujib Year.
She urged the diploma engineers to remain cautious about the environment and agricultural lands while implementing any project.
Terming rural areas of the country as the most important ones and centres for all development of the government, the Prime Minister said the government wanted to ensure all modern amenities in rural areas and working to that end.
She also briefly described various development projects of the government.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Deputy Minister for Education Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, Director General, CPSC and Co-Chairman, Conference Steering Committee Ramhari Lamichhane and IDEB General Secretary Eng M Shamshur Rahman also spoke at the programme, held with IDEB and Chairman of the Conference Steering Committee AKMA Hamid in the chair.
In the beginning of the programme, a one-minute silence was observed as a
mark of profound respect to the memories of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other martyrs of the August 15, 1975 carnage, the four national leaders, martyrs of the Liberation War of 1971 and Language Movement of 1952.